Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

Hunger burned in my stomach like fire.

Voluntary fasting was definitely not easy in this place; it was an ordeal of self-control and willpower.

When hungry, judgment and reason became blurred due to low blood sugar.

At the same time, the aroma that permeated the entire space became even more tempting…

Food was everywhere. Everywhere you looked, you could see other Saints moving their mouths, savoring various delicacies.

You knew that you could have a feast anytime, anywhere, just by raising your hand and opening your mouth.

You felt that hunger was almost making you lose your mind.

But you could only swallow hard.

Only because there was something more important…

“The First Saint’s dedication ceremony is about to begin. And during the ceremony, the Angel of Abundance will guide that heretic back to the right path.”

Listening to the voice of another awakened Saint beside him, Polo nodded.

After fasting for two days, even walking became difficult.

He could only walk as usual by relying on the control of his soul.

And under [Circular Regression: Little Red Riding Hood - Wolf's Disguise], Polo’s appearance still looked like the rosy-cheeked Seventh Awakened Saint.

In a room above a hidden staircase in the castle, thirty-six awakened Saints stood on either side. This was a magnificent sanctuary, with light shining through the transparent candy windows, carrying a dreamlike glow.

The First Saint stood at the very front, facing the gold and white altar.

The only person in the entire venue without a numbered Saint emblem was the emaciated ascetic. He also stood at the front of the line, silent, with a dazed look in his eyes.

“Let’s begin,”

said the First Saint. Then, all the Saints looked solemn and chanted in a low voice.

While chanting, Polo watched the light gather from all directions. Just like when he first saw the Angel of Abundance, the light swirled around the altar, condensing into that winged, white-robed figure.

But this time, what was different from before was…

In Polo’s hunger-induced daze, he inexplicably felt that the face, so perfect as to be unreal, seemed to overlap with some chaotic shadows.

“...I see the truth in fragrance, I feel divine grace under the five flavors…”

The First Saint knelt solemnly on the ground, reciting lengthy hymns. Under the light of the Angel of Abundance, his tone carried a kind of excited fanaticism within the calmness.

His words lingered on the last sentence:

“...I am willing to dedicate all my spiritual bones and flesh, may the glory of abundance cross the plains and fill the world!”

The Angel of Abundance in the brilliance nodded slightly and stretched out a hand entwined with radiance to the top of the kneeling First Saint’s head.

“The gate of heaven will open to you, devout one.”

Then, in Polo’s horrified gaze, the First Saint’s whole body was filled with translucent golden light. Under a strange attraction, the light points formed a beam and were grabbed by the Angel of Abundance!

And as the golden light flowed away, the First Saint’s body became more and more transparent…

But the next moment, the daze caused by hunger dimmed the scene in Polo’s eyes. He seemed to see that under the surface golden light, the First Saint’s skin, flesh, tendons, blood, and bones were being peeled off layer by layer, like a silent death by a thousand cuts!

Was this real? Or an illusion?

Which one was the illusion?

Polo blinked, and the scene in front of him returned to the sacred style.

As the last trace of golden light disappeared, the First Saint’s figure vanished without a trace.

The Angel of Abundance nodded slightly. The Second Saint reached out and led the dazed ascetic to the front of the stage, like leading a soulless puppet.

“Lost one, I can feel the faith in your heart… But here, you don’t have to suffer.”

The Angel of Abundance said calmly, flicking a finger, “The delicacies you make are close to the Holy Spirit. Eat it, follow the guidance of your heart, and return to the right path.”

A plate of roasted meat condensed out of thin air.

Its appearance—was exactly the holy meal that the ascetic and the others had cooked before!

And Polo saw clearly that the golden light that materialized the delicacy was precisely a part of what the First Saint’s spirit and flesh had transformed into!

The ascetic woodenly reached out and took the roasted meat.

He blankly picked up a fork and ate the roasted meat on the plate bite by bite. The struggle that suddenly appeared in his eyes was completely covered by the increasingly intense fanaticism…

“Ding—”

He put down the empty plate and, like the previous First Saint, bowed his head devoutly and knelt on the ground.

“Devout one, from now on, you are the first disciple.”

After saying that, the Angel of Abundance’s figure disappeared in a dazzling white light.

And on the ascetic’s chest, magic light emerged on the ordinary Saint emblem—

It was a number, one.

…

“Creak—”

The door opened, and the little girl Gretel walked out, supporting the wall.

Her face was pale. Fasting made her, who was already thin, even weaker, and it also made her reach a certain critical level of hunger faster than Lake and Polo.

The aroma overflowed into her nostrils from all directions.

“Brother…”

Gretel swallowed and walked forward unsteadily.

Being in a state of hunger for a long time since she was a child gave her a higher tolerance for this state.

“The underground, where is it?”

She had overheard Lake and Polo’s conversation, knowing that her brother Hansel was imprisoned in a hidden place underground. Although she didn’t know exactly where it was, she couldn’t help but come out to look for him.

Lake and Polo had rejected Gretel’s request to explore together during the day.

But for the girl, she didn’t want to just wait in the room…

After all, her brother Hansel was her only relative now.

Gretel staggered forward.

In the illusions caused by hunger, the surrounding chocolates, plus the walls covered in colored jam, began to spin and roll.

Behind the dirty illusions, Gretel saw many doors and passages that she had never seen before.

She endured the feeling of fainting and carefully looked at the passages and rooms hidden under those illusions.

Until…

At a certain moment, in a remote corner.

Her eyes, which were difficult to open due to hunger, saw a… downward staircase.

The patterns on the surface of the staircase twisted, like countless insects crawling.

Or like a dim vortex.

“A downward staircase, brother… must be down there, right?”

The girl bit her lip and walked down.

But she didn’t know that this was not the downward staircase that Polo had gone to before.

But a more remote, secret place that could not be recorded even on the awakened Saint emblem!

Light and shadows swirled and flickered.

The girl almost fell several times, but she supported the wall and struggled to take somewhat soft steps…

Down…

Down…

The endless steps almost made the girl think that she was stepping into the bottomless abyss of hell step by step.

After walking for an unknown distance, finally, the view opened up—

An incomparably vast space.

The girl now found that the surrounding sweetness had become much lighter, and a hard, cold touch came from the walls.

This room was no longer made of delicacies.

But a special kind of crystal.

A stone room, and in the center of the room, a huge furnace engraved with countless complex runes was burning fiercely.

The flames were a kind of golden flame flow.

They rose and extended through the black iron pipes, as black as branches and climbing snakes, above the furnace, intersecting and extending towards the castle above.

“Brother, where… are you?”

A trace of confusion flashed in Gretel’s eyes.

She didn’t know where she had come to. In a state of hunger, her thinking was also like a rusty machine.

This room was empty. The only display in it was this furnace in front of her, which was dozens of times taller than Gretel. The golden runes all over the furnace flickered, carrying an invisible power.

“In a room?”

In Gretel’s mind, the room where Hansel was imprisoned was described by Polo and Lake.

The only thing here that looked like a room was… the furnace in front of her.

The girl started walking and slowly approached the huge furnace.

Inside, there was a vaguely visible huge space, but it was not clear under the golden flames.

“What’s inside?”

Perhaps it was a child’s imagination, or some kind of courage.

Gretel stretched out her hand and probed towards the golden flames in front of her. To her surprise, although the golden flames were warm, they did not have a burning sensation.

The girl widened her eyes and, in a daze, walked in step by step.

Passing through the golden flames, her eyes adjusted to the color light inside. There was indeed a person inside.

“Hmm? A… little girl?”

The old voice sounded a little surprised, and also carried a kind of unbelievable joy, “I have been here for a long, long time, and I haven’t seen anyone else.”